CHAPTER ONE ‘SOUNDS IN HIS HEAD’

ILL COLYER The same way that George Lewis and the kids who grew up with those sounds from thecradle—Ken’swasthesamesortofbackground;he’d got sounds in his head… I’d be indoors when I was at home playing my records and obviously those sounds were going into Ken’s head.

BEN MARSHALL There used to be a regular article in BtheReader’sDigestcalled“ The Most Unforgettable Character I’ve Ever Met ”—Ken would be mine. His life story reads like a film script; at his peak, playing some of the most glorious jazz trumpet to be heard, and at his lowest, suffering the pain and distress of serious illness and seemingly throughout his life a victim of the frustration he felt, as crystallised in a quote from his book, which he gave me years ago, New Orleans and Back : “I was born about 60 years too late, the wrong colour and in the wrong country—a misfit.”

JULIAN DAVIES There’s that little bit in McSorley’s Wonderful Saloon by Joseph Mitchell—a book that meant a lot to Ken. “The people in a number of the stories—in this book—are the kind that many writers haverecentlygotintothehabitofreferringtoas‘littlepeople’.”Iregard thisphraseaspatronisingandrepulsive.Therearenolittlepeopleinthis book. They are as big as you are… whoever you are.”

DIZ DISLEY I used to think he reminded me of Stalin. He wasn’t a very good player but he was a good bloke.

KEN COLYER SomepeopletendtothinkthatI’mverynarrow-minded in my musical tastes. But this isn’t so. I am in what I want to play. But of course, I mean, I like other styles of jazz, as well. And I’m well aware of them, you know.

The display case for the Ken was very, very deeply feeling the music. start of British Jazz at the That’s what he felt, and that’s all you needed to have, as far as I was British Music Experience concerned, and I enjoyed his playing, which was fine; he was a great in with Ken’s pleasure to play with. I mean, in a way it’s the same as—the Hot Fives Derby mute and trumpet and so on are all very well, but in a way, it would be better if Louis played at the centre like George Mitchell. I’ve heard that remark more or less made. Well, Ken was like that. He had that quality, that you don’t notice.

17 GoKeinn’CHoolymere||CChhapatpetreOrnOen| Ie n|T‘ShoeuBnegdisnnininhg is head’

JULIAN DAVIES I realised that down there even, and found out what it was really like to be a Ken photographed at blackman—whichhewouldhavefoundout—reallyfoundout. the flat in Lillie Road, for the first time in my life And said he couldn’t go in to the boozer with Fulham, London in 1956 I was listening to a man ’em, because of the colour bar. who actually meant what he COLIN BOWDEN I know that he liked Harry James, and I know that he liked Percy Humphrey, but he probably liked all played. He wasn’t just playing oftheveryNewOrleansplayers.Buthehadalotofrespectfor a tune, he was living it. musicians outside his genre. “Man, you sound just like DOUG LANDAU His technique was well crafted rather than spectacular, but this was probably an artistic choice; he is on Mutt Carey.” Ken turned record as thinking Louis Armstrong’s dominating to me and said, “Do you flamboyance to be “not for the benefit of the band.” His approachstoodhimingoodsteadwhentacklingtheintricacies want to join my band?” ofrags,whichhealwayscarriedoffwithauthority.Stylistically he was much influenced by most of the New Orleans PAT HAWES I often got the feeling, when I was playing with trumpetersthatcametotheforeintherevival,MuttCareyand him, that he’d much rather be somewhere else, or doing Bunk in particular, but he was never a slavish copyist, something else. There is for my mind a distinct link fashioning these influences in his own way. between the playing of Ken Colyer and Miles Davis. But I can hear it up there, rather than I can put it down on my KEN SIMS He wasn’t a stomper. I mean, if you listen to fingers, or writing or whatever. Herman Autrey or George Mitchell—they joined the rhythm section. Ken didn’t do that—he was a lyrical, melodic player. SONNY MORRIS Around ’53 when he came back from New Beautiful. Orleans, he was over the moon about Percy Humphrey. That was the greatest thing ever, according to Ken, when he came PHILIP LARKIN Colyer combines a robust public back from there—Percy Humphrey. personality with the tenderest of instrumental tones.

BILL COLYER Butofcourse,playingatsea,yougottheopen- DICK SMITH He did sort of bully you a bit. But when you airlungs,soKenwasloud.Don’tforget,he’dheardWildBillin joinedhisbandyouknewwhatyouwereexpectedto…belike. Condon’s,whowaspowerful,andtheywereonlytinyclubsin Yeah, he told me not to do anything fancy. None of this New York, so you’d sit this close to Wild Bill. That’s a wall of bopping. And you could tell whether you were in with him. If sound. Ken was on an “Iron Chops” thing. He learnt light you were standing behind him, you’d know. and shade afterwards, power not noise. I enjoyed it with Ken. I don’t know how, but he just managed to bring the best out in you. JIM GODBOLT All the guys that were making a lot of money out of New Orleans jazz never went there, including STAN GREIG He was alright. I mean… he was a bit grumpy, Humphrey Lyttleton, by the way—I don’t think Humph ever that was the only thing. I thought he was just a guy with very went to New Orleans. But Ken did—he made the effort; definite ideas. Nothin’ wrong with that. gettingonthatboat,gettingofftheboat,jumpingship,onthe bus down to New Orleans. It was like Scott of the Antarctic. DELPHINE COLYER I think he thought everyone was against him—I don’t think he thought many people were on ED O’DONNELL One day I said I thought Mezzrow’s book his side. If he had a sort of magic session, I suppose he would werealoadofrubbish;well…Kenwentupintheair.Sitsdown have thought that we were all going the same way, but I think an’ mumbles something and John Parker gets up and sits he was fighting an uphill battle all the time, really. down between us and says “Get on with your dinner.” And I never got a chance to explain. KEN SIMS A very kind man—he was very good to me. And I thought: “You jumped your ship, took a risk, made Without him I would have been sleeping in doorways, your way down on the Greyhound, and went down to New certainlyatthattime.EvenwiththeBilkband,itwasveryhard Orleans, and Mezzrow didn’t have to do that.” You know, to save any money. Couldn’t go home to Mum. Mezzrow got some money off his father, probably, which he Ken was there—at Lillie Road—but he was having some could’ve.Imean,hecould’vetakenatraindownthere,orabus kindofproblemswithhisstomach.Hehadthisladycomingin Goin’ Home | Chapter One | ‘Sounds in his head’ to care for him, who cooked him enormous meals, and Ken of view, and he was quite exciting to play with. All musicians Ken with Sister Rosetta wouldgivememostofit,soI’deatmineandhis.Andhehadan should have the “Four Ts”: Timing, Tone, Taste and Tharpe at the 51 amazing record collection. Small groups from the Basie band, Technique. By technique I mean being able to do what you and then the next one would be what sounded to me like a want to on your instrument. second-rateSalvationArmyband—anditwaswonderfulstuff. ALAN COOPER He was unswerving, never mind whether it JOHNNY PARKER Well,personally,Iwasfrightenedofhim, made a few bob or it didn’t. I mean, he was doing something because, you know, it was the old class thing of middle-class and he said this is what it’s about and did it, and I have the from a grammar school and there he was—rough speaking. greatest admiration and respect for that. And so the wheel He looked as though, you know, he’d sooner hit you than talk moves an inch further. to you. JOHN KEEN He was initially a jazz fan, like a lot of us were; His accent, to me, always sounded a bit like we wanted to play like that. But he was much more talented a cross between Australian and Birmingham, which is about than most of us. And he soon found that he could play the same—a funny, very strange accent. effectively, but he also had a kind of a latent potential Ken sounded about the same to me, all the time. I mean… leadership inside of him, which meant that he knew what he it’s a very recognisable, individual sort of accent; it’s his voice wanted quite early on; and from what I know of him, he more than the accent. Stu Morrison can do it perfectly. When actually used to go around to people’s houses and say, “Look, Stujoinedtheband,StuwasstandingbehindIanWheeler,and we’re gonna form a band and this is what it’s gonna be like.” Stu said “Wheeler,” and Ian nearly jumped out of his skin, Idon’tknowwhetherthewordcrusade isright,buthehad because he thought Ken was standing behind him. akindofavision,anditalsofittedinwiththatpost-warworld of: “Well, this is a democratic music and those people who RON BOWDEN He didn’t speak a lot; but when he did, you weren’t commercial in the United States—the black blokes knew what he meant. who played from their heart—they never got the exposure, and perhaps it’s up to us to do it.” DAVE BRENNAN I never found Ken a particularly disagreeableman.Hewasjustforthright.Somethingspleased BILL REID Hedid haveamagictohim.ButquitehowKenhad himenormously.IoncesaidheremindedmeofLeeCollinsin this magic, and this awe that got over to people, I don’t know, some of his playing. I was his friend for the whole evening. but he did . It was simple, and he was sincere, and he didn’t When he saw a newspaper article I’d written describing his deviate. He stuck to what he liked, what he could do, and it trumpet playing as “dancing,” he went into raptures, worked. And he could play very well, and it did swing. He was repeating it over and over again with his eyes having a distant more musical than many thought. glaze. “Dancing, that’s it, man, dancing.” I felt he was very sensitive to criticism but only liked praise of the right kind. Years after I’d left the band, I went up to him and said, “You’re still playing with great feeling, I don’t think Ken.” You know, it was the feeling thing that got me. we’ve had a jazz trumpet The sincerity, and the heart. The feeling he played player with the talent of with was sincere, which is quite rare when you think about it. There’s so many people like going Ken Colyer. I could cry through the motions of playing from up here [points to head] all the time, they don’t play with listening to him sometimes. any soul, you know. He had so much in him— Hekindofwas ,though,becausehehadacharisma,without doinganything;sometimesquietnessorsilenceismystical.He such a musical “soul” had that kind of charismatic power on stage, without doing anything. A lot of the musicians were afraid to say anything to player on trumpet. But him—people get sometimes a little bit afraid, because there’s all artists have their funny no contact. So they’re thinking, “What’s he thinking?” So they’remakingthemagicintheirownmind—it’sallhappening psychological quirks. in themselves. It’s all to do with that: control.

PETE DYER Ken had a pretty unique sound from that point CHRIS BARBER It’s more than that. It’s the timing of every Goin’ Home | Chapter One | ‘Sounds in his head’ phrase.Everynote.That’swhatKenhad,yousee—thecorrect coming out of him, althoughthey I suppose you could say at that time Ken and myself swing and feel and timing was always there and never wrong. were both on the same kick, Humph being a bit before Ken. represented a divergence, and I went off. You see, I had the feeling that if somebody had stood at Louis Armstrong’s MIKE CASIMIR Musically I enjoyed his playing. He had a JOHN WURR I was interested in his influences. He always shoulder in 1923, when he was with King Oliver, and told him distinctive and lyrical style reminiscent to me of perhaps quoted Mutt Carey, Bunk Johnson and King Oliver as his what he should play, and told him to stop doing this because… Charlie Love, Mutt Carey, Percy Humphrey and a few others. major sources, and all these are apparent. He also loved the that’s not allowed, that’s not New Orleans style… my belief is, I approached him on this subject once and received a blank Condon mob, and there was quite a bit of Wild Bill in there. there would have been no jazz, as we know it today. stare as an answer. I’m not sure about Louis Armstrong. He claimed not to have It would have just become a 1920s music and wouldn’t beeninfluencedbyLouis,andclearlyKen’sstyledidnotfollow havedeveloped.AndI’vehaddiscussionsandargumentswith DELPHINE COLYER Very, very sensitive person, and more Armstrong’s path. Ken about this. But certainly, as a representative of that style complex than some people have thought. He was a great But it is interesting to note that a large slice of Ken’s of music, which I love, you won’t find anybody more devoted reader. I think this is where he got his knowledge from, really. repertoire came from the Armstrong 1930s recordings. More than Ken. interestingtomewasthatKenalsolovedDukeEllington,Billie CATHY COLYER Ken was a quiet man. And he never showed Holiday, Lester Young, Charlie Parker and Woody Herman— CHRIS BARBER The main thing was, he informed us about any showing-off business—he wasn’t someone that would something the Colyer idolisers care to gloss over. He told me what was going on in New Orleans then… as to the jazz of say: “I’m Ken Colyer, I’m to be given a bit more respect”… and once,withaconspiratorialgrinandobviouspride,thathehad twenty to thirty years before. That helped us to start off, but allofthis.Hewasn’tlikethat.Hewasverymodest—hewasn’t given one of his mysterious roll-ups to Dizzy Gillespie. of course I’ve heard where his influences came from: from a man to go into this “big star” business. Percy Humphrey, Mutt Carey, Wild Bill Davison, and so on. RON WARD Another time in Leicester we played for a With the band, we did find a new style, even though we didn’t FRED HATFIELD Ken appeared to be a person that would be Students Rag Ball. Towards the end of the evening we want to do so. We just wanted to play good jazz. totally dedicated to whatever he was doing, at the time. realised that Dizzy Gillespie was across the hall listening to us! He had been playing a concert the same PETE LAY You know, there was never any antagonism DICK ALLEN Another thing that I remember that Ken was evening, just up the road at the De Montfort Hall. He stayed between Ken and Chris as far as the music was concerned; he very interested in, when he was here in ’52 and ’53, was trying listening to us for a half hour or so and at the end of the set he always respected Chris’s band. He said to me, “There’s things to revive the English folk tradition. It shows up in things like spoke to Ken and told him he had liked what he heard. that Chris does, I don’t do them but Chris does them well. If Bobby Shaftoe and Miner’s Dream of Home, which he recorded people come to me and say ‘I want Rent Party ,’ I say with the Cranes. ED O’DONNELL Ithinkhewasexploited…evenwhenhewas ‘Chris’s is the band to do those things; I don’t do that type of living. arranged thing.’” He respected Chris for those sort of things. JIM HOLMES Inmyopinion,Ken’smosttellingcontribution He was very respectful of other bandleaders, you know. I tothetraditionaljazzsceneinEuropewasleadingabandthat HUMPHREY LYTTELTON I think all musicians who mean, : he liked the Welsh band, and he liked the played ensemble music in good taste. At a time when worked—certainly in the traditional jazz field, and many early Lyttelton band, and . commercial pressures led most other bands into gimmickry, outside it—respected Ken for the devotion to early New this says a lot about Ken’s integrity. Orleansjazz,whichhe’scertainlyshownthroughouttheyears. BRUCE TURNER Ken’s way was always to assume that the Ken’s style of playing was in the early days quite strongly music contained its own appeal. Ken simply played the stuff he influencedbyBunkJohnsonandMuttCarey,andofcourseby Ken’s belief was that in believed in, occasionally transfixing with a scowl any members many other New Orleans players. Through his career he was of the public who did not seem to be paying attention. to develop his own very individual style. New Orleans the music was all part of the life, and had a Ken had a lot of KEN COLYER When I hear the Bunk Johnson American dynamics in his playing— Musics it makes me feel warm inside—a warm feeling in the particular flavour which was belly. No other music moves me like that. [ BW] I like that. He’s not a lost at that time. And so he trumpet player that plays CUFF BILLETT He was distinctive, whatever way you say it. came back and demonstrated YoucouldhearMuttCareyinhim,andIcouldsometimeshear in one level, you know. Elmer Talbert; some of the bowler-hat mute stuff reminded this particular music, which me of Elmer Talbert at times. And he’d probably been He drops it down, and the influencedbyPercyHumphrey,beingtheplayerwithGeorge’s of course had been heard on band; and of course, at that time he would use the bowler-hat last choruses are up, mute. He wasn’t in the same league as Percy as far as power or records by Bunk Johnson and and then the hat. rhapsodic playing. But I thought I could hear Mutt Carey and Elmer Talbert in him. What I didn’t hear Kid Ory and George Lewis. It’s quite exciting to play with. I mean, I made this record Ken on board the was any kind of influence of other British players last year with Ken after… thirty years or more, you know. And SS Tamaroa , dressed ready that had been before; I didn’t hear any, shall we say, And it really split the traditional jazz movement into two. he’s playing the same. I couldn’t play the same. I mean I’ve to take on the town Goin’ Home | Chapter One | ‘Sounds in his head’

changed—it’s not intentional with me; I get influenced by On the darker side, he would vent his hate for religion, On parade with John Keen and Sonny Morris in the sea and, later, gardening but basically he was extremely different people. And my style has changed a lot since. I think authoritarianism and his contempt for graduates of private the Excelsior Brass Band shy and introvert. that’s a good thing. Because, in a way, I mean, Ken Colyer is schools,whichareinexplicablyreferredtoinBritainas“public KenColyer,andalwayswillbe.It’sgoodtohaveaninstitution. schools.” COLIN BOWDEN InthelatefiftiesthebandusedtoplayEel BILL WILKINSON When he was invited to play with the Pie Island, and the only way across the water was by the chain JOHN WURR To be frank, we never got on particularly well. COLIN BOWDEN He didn’t like to do the showbiz bit of Excelsior Brass Band he bought a tenor sax. He was so quiet ferryboat.Wewerealltravellingtogetheronthewayover,and We had a shared interest in gardening, which was fine, but deliberately raving the audience up. He liked to do it in his you could never hear him. I asked him why. He replied, Mac and Ian were having a heated argument on some subject most of the time his legendary taciturnity obstructed any own time and in his own way. I mean, we’d go on to the stage “’Cause there’s too many bloody good trumpet players [Cuff, or other. meaningfuldialogue.Havinghero-worshippedhimasayouth, in these big band concerts, you know, and a trad band would Jim Holmes, Andy Dickens] inthisband.”Every generation To cool the situation down a bit, Ken said for them to toss I found it quite difficult, as an adult, to accept that I didn’t have been blasting away, and Ken would start with a slow needs a Ken. foritandproducedacoin.Itwasanoldsilverhalf-crownpiece. really like the man very much. Some bandleaders seem to go blues, just to get things down to his level, which was a very They grudgingly agreed, Ken tossed the coin, he missed the out of their way to upset those that are there to support them clever way of doing things. I mean, those four rags we BETTY COLYER He lived with us for a little while when he catch as it came down and it bounced off the side of the boat (sound crews, stage managers, etc.) and Ken shared this recorded showed the introspective side of his playing. And came back from America, and he was such a good raconteur into the river. You can guess what happened: The atmosphere characteristic with one or two others I have worked for. then you’d get the wild stuff, where he’s going like a train. He whenhewasonform.Hewassointeresting—ifyougothimat changed from doom to hilarity, with Ken crestfallen over his His drinking didn’t help. could build up to a finale. a good moment, you know. He was so interesting. He was a good intentions. He probably got a pint out of it though. As a jazz trumpeter, Ken was primarily a melodist, rather very self-taught man. than a harmonic improviser. A typical Colyer performance PETE DYER We were chatting at the end of the session and I learnt such a lot from Ken and Bill with their knowledge consisted simply of the tune played many times over. But the he’d say something like, “Do you know, we had two choruses of literature—Bill particularly. subtle variations in tonal colour, volume, and rhythmic in that tune where we got near there and that’s all you can ask placement of the notes created endless interest and variety. for in one evening. That’s good.” And he used to speak like COLIN BOWDEN IalwaysrememberhimtalkingaboutDon He was wonderfully easy to play with. that… quite interesting. I think he knew in that sense, you Camillo—he used to love those stories, and he would use know. themasanecdotes.See,thisisthewayheis:classicexample— IAN WHEELER He didn’t strike me as an abnormal person, somebodygavemeanomnibusofalltheDonCamillostories, allthetimeIwaswithhim.Hedidn’tsufferfools,Idon’tthink. STU MORRISON When I first met him, he seemed quite andofcourseIreadthem,andIthoughttheyweremarvellous. But he was reasonable to most people. He was a bit short, remote, and… And I used to bring these anecdotes up, and of course in the sometimes;theymakehimout—someofthesepeople—tobe end he’d never talk about Don Camillo after that. either one extreme or the other. But he didn’t strike me as the legend was flying about… But that was his way; he would like to find something that anything other than perfectly normal. As I say, I had a good I mean, this was someone nobodyelsereallyknewabout,Ithink.ButIdon’tknow—you relationship with him—went on holiday with him… had a could say that I didn’t know him very well. All I knew of him good time. who had been to the washismusicality—histrumpetplaying.Iknewwherehewas going then, there’s no doubt about that. KEITH SMITH SometimesKencouldbeenjoyablecompany, mountain and come back but I often felt I was treading a fine line if I disagreed with his BILL COLE I can’t really remember the exact first time I met emphatic loves and hates for the British and our traditional with the tablets, you know. him, but I remember that he struck me as being an imposing class structures. Ken loved eccentrics and often the And he’d come back to tell a story. The people he had played sort of person, in his own quiet sort of way. romantic side of his character would come to the with were names on record labels, so we had a feeling that he fore with enthusiasm for Judy Garland, for wasofanotherspeciesalmost,youknow?Inlateryears,when TONY PYKE To some people Ken must have seemed abrupt example, and her various film appearances. This subject I got to know him better—a lot better—it was obvious really if not quite rude at times. He didn’t find conversation easy, often concluded with a vocal chorus from Ken of Somewhere that it was shyness, it was the unwillingness to put up with particularlywithstrangers,andhadnotimeforsmalltalk.He Poster for a Jazz Ball held at the Lyceum Theatre Over the Rainbow . bullshit and a load of mindless waffle. wasusuallyalrightonmattersclosetohisheartsuchasmusic, in Covent Garden

25 Goin’ Home | Chapter One | ‘Sounds in his head’

PETE DYER I can remember an instance where people used BILL COLYER Number one: his mute work, and he’s been to SAMMY RIMINGTON Ken tocomeupandsay,“OhKen,thatlastnumber—itwasterrific. New Orleans enough times to know. Ken with his mutes, best wasabitfunny.Helovedloyalty: ItwasthebestversionI’veeverheard.”AndI’veheardhimsay, mute man in the business, Ken. He’s making sounds and when hereallyrespectedloyalty.Andif “Well,obviouslyyouhaven’tlistenedtothisversionbyGeorge you are sitting behind him… I had to play washboard for some anybody left him, he’d never Lewis,”orArmstrong,orsomething.Butofcourse,helikedto months till we found a real drummer, and I remember forgetit.Ithinkheevensaiditto be praised. wheneverKenwentinthebowlerhat,thesoundwavescoming me, “You’ve left me now.” And back, they turned you on. somebodyelselefttheband,and EDWARD BLACK Listentotherecords.Hisfinetone,flights he didn’t take it good at all, you of melodic invention, the human qualities which empower a IAN CHRISTIE I don’t think Ken’s know.Becausehefeltthatthey’d musiciantoplaybluesandspirituals.ThegreatLizzieMilesat actual trip to New Orleans let him down. the time of the prison incident inscribed two records “To a With Chris, he felt he got let down, I think. Because they How an English newspaper viewed Ken’s part in great jazzman.” changed the course of British went on a different way. The others were thinking more the beginnings of Pop music! Serious and dedicated, in touch with an ideal, Colyer was commercially, let’s put it that way. Their main thing was to thecreativeartistontherazoredgeoflife.Withhishorntohis jazz history. His style was make money, where Ken’s wasn’t. He wasn’t aiming, as a IAN WHEELER Yes, he was different. You could say that it lips, he felt the contact of dead musicians motivating his goal, to get famous or to make money. He just was just that everyone else was following a slightly different playing far more than lesser artists accompanying him. Bunk already set, his ideas were wanted to spread that gospel—if you like—of that line. So, what Ken was playing—based on what he learned in hadbeenshowingtheway(yetwithhisowndistinctstyleKen completely formulated. music. And to give him that feeling—himself—that New Orleans, and what he liked—was not generally followed was properly scornful of copyists). When he played at the he was aiming for it. He wanted to master it. by most of the bands at the time. That’s why he was different. Düsseldorf BierBarthephotoofBunkonthewallappearedto It did a lot for him, as he’d left the Christie Brothers Different in so far as where he left the spaces. He spaced his smile or frown. Stompers, without any kind of a row or anything. I mean, he Awkwardasanoldbear,oftentoodrunkto notes very different from everybody else. thought that we were diverging from the truth—the gospel— blow properly, he has played as he wanted to since the very In fact, when I left Ken, I found it very difficult GEORGE MELLY At a recording of New Orleans Music. I mean, he suddenly announced he was beginning. to play with anyone else, because I was playing session Ken went into going to kind of recharge his batteries by going off to New over other people’s things, you know. Because I’d Orleans and playing there. It reinforced his ideas rather than JOHN BEECHAM The things got so used to the way Ken phrased. You know—he the box to hear the playbacks changed them, I think. And when he came back and started that struck me most about phrasedandyouanswered,typeofthing,butthetimingofhis his own band, he had that unswerving dedication which he phrases was very different from other trumpet players. and rejected the lot. always had. Ken’s playing were his GEORGE MELLY Even Humph, although he has always “You can’t hear the fuckin’ LEN BALDWIN Jim Godbolt in his book recently said about bell-like tone, which he was denied it, was affected by Ken’s ideas. For a month of two he inner rhythms,” he told the chap who went up to Ken and, trying to be sycophantic, able to maintain even in the turned to look over his shoulder. The Ghost of Mutt Carey said, “Oh, Mister Colyer, your band’s better than George whispered in his ear. Then he turned away, and swam slowly the astounded engineer. Lewis,” and Ken got up and punched him. deadest acoustics, and his and deliberately into the mainstream. He was quite kind in some ways and was very tolerant if JOHN GUY A young lady who had been reading George youhadaproblem,asatonetimewhenIsplitmylip.Themore knack at the end of a number JOHN PETTERS Melodic—that’s how I’d describe his Melly’s Owning Up asked Ken if he really used the ‘f’ word. I played the more it split. It was a problem, and he was great of squeezing out one last playing, and I think he could play the blues as well; I think he “You can’t believe everything you read in books, my dear. andveryunderstanding:“Justdothebestyoucan,man.”That could sing the blues. I remember hearing him do what he Anyway, we forgive George because he’s good fun!” sort of thing. Whereas somebody else, I won’t mention any chorus which was even calledLowland Blues ,whichisthesameasB ackwater Blues on Thereafter Ken would refer, smiling, to “the proverbial inner names, would tell you to take a week off while he got someone one of those LPs that I’d got at the time, and thinking, “Yes, rhythms!” else in. hotter than the one before. this is as real as you can get… here and now.” From my The interplay between cornet and trombone is very experienceofhim,hewasquiteopen-mindedmusically,butI GEOFF COLE Ken realised that we were never gonna sound COLIN BOWDEN I used to like him, but there were black importantinaNewOrleansband,andIalwayslistenedclosely thinkhewaslockedintothewaythatheplayed.Hewasn’tlike exactlylikeaNewOrleansband.Hesaidtome:“I’mnotmuch periods. For example, if you met him and you’d go to a session to Ken’s lead and tried to complement his melodic and some musicians that can, say, turn on Louis Armstrong one on communication. I wish I could play all six instruments.” in the evening, and if I didn’t get the right response then I rhythmic approach. minute and Bunk Johnson the next and that sort of thing. Ken was very strong on inner rhythms, as you wouldjustmoveonandnottalktohim.Ordirectlyhewenton He was never smug or self-satisfied, and so I’m proud to What you got when you heard Ken Colyer, was Ken Colyer. know. You know, you maybe play the same notes, a tack I didn’t like, I would just quietly leave the conversation. remember the times when he would smile and say, “We have but you don’t play them at the same time. They Ifoundthatbetter,thenIdidn’tgetscrewedup.Hewasmoody, a great rapport.” I also admired his professionalism. He TONY O’SULLIVAN I listened to my contemporaries who were improvising with time, rather than with likeMacwas,really.Kencouldhandlehisdrink—Icouldnever turned out smartly dressed for every engagement, whether it were more into the music than I was in about 1956, and kept notes. And he was very good at this. Bunk Johnson—he keep up with him. was a dinner suit occasion or a casual gig; his beautiful cornet hearing the name “Ken Colyer.” improvises with time, puts different stress on different I think really Ken used to get very nervous. Sometimes wasalwayscleanandshining;thebandalwaysstartedontime His image was that of a non-commercial bandleader with phrases and places notes at different places over the beat. when he would start a concert he wouldn’t go straight into it. and played the agreed length of sets. the—to me—romantic overtone of the man who had jumped Concerning Ken’s attempt at recreating New Orleans Ithinkhewasveryconsciousofwhathewasdoing,andIthink ship and gone to New Orleans to learn about traditional jazz music, I didn’t think he was doing that. It seemed to me that he felt very vulnerable sometimes. And part of his whole ‘FESSOR’ LINDGREN He was fighting for what he believed at source and play an authentic interpretation of the music. I Ken had already formed his own style. psyche was a shield. in. A man who dedicated his life to the music. bought an EP of the Crane River band and decided that this

27 Goin’ Home | Chapter One | ‘Sounds in his head’ Ken at the Pizza Express in the eighties, with brother Bill on washboard and Paul Sealey on guitar was the sort of music I wanted to be involved with—melodic, develop on both these fronts. I even did a bit of skiffling think, Osterley jazz club. He seemed swinging and devoid of any great pyrotechnics. between 1957 and 1959 (which, if nothing else, taught me a bit somewhat remote and difficult to make I acquired my first trumpet in 1958 and, after the usual about chords). contact with, but then who wouldn’t, trialsanderrorsoftheself-taughtmusician,begantodevelop being constantly pestered by the punters apersonalapproachtoplayingNewOrleans-stylejazz.Atthis JOHN BEECHAM When I heard his record The Isle Of Capri during the intervals. stage, Ken Colyer was the seminal influence. on the radio, I saved up enough money to buy the record. The I had discovered Bunk Johnson, Kid Howard and Mutt ‘B’side was the majestic Goin’ Home . This music knocked me CHRIS BARBER I have to say that, Carey (inter alia), but the accessibility of the Colyer sideways, and I decided that I’d have to have a go at playing it. during the year or so we were together, I band through records, numerous visits to Studio 51 Most people who love music are happy to listen to it, but learned from Ken Colyer everything I and concerts in the London area gave me a live other poor devils are driven by an irrational need to play. knew about timing. model on which to base my style and technique. I I would never have guessed in those days that I would be For that sort of music, Ken would still even bought a Humes & Berg “Derby” mute. lucky enough to play professionally with each of the six guys be the best were he alive today. He had a WhatIlearnedspecificallyfromKenColyer,whichIliketo on that recording and that I’d even get to make records and perfect understanding of how to make a thinkhavelastedtothisday,arethevirtuesofgoodleadership appear on TV with most of them. New Orleans band swing—while doing almost nothing. He smiled (in a Jack Palance-type way) as his eyes said, as Mark (exposing the theme of a number and controlling the balance Asyoucanimagine,itwasatremendousthrillwhen,many was a marvelous musician who became a pain in the arse. Pringle,ourguitarist,putitlater,“Justwhatdoyouwantfrom between solo and ensemble work), controlling the dynamics years later, Ken asked me to join his band. me, boy?” The only other time he had experienced a similar of a number (plenty of light and shade and gradual building to PETE DYER Well, we were both Sinatra fans. We could hear look, he told me, was when he was introduced to my uncle, a climax), and a controlled yet lyrical “middle register” style, DAVE BAILEY I had been knocked out hearing the the timing, you see. Timing. And I think Ken recognised that. Ken Colyer, at the . which seems to suit my constitution. recordingsofhislatefiftiesbandwithMacandIaninthefront In addition, the various types of ensemble Ken led—the line.ThefirsttimeIevermethimwaswhenIwasontourwith COLIN BOWDEN But Ken had an ego. It was a weird ED O’DONNELL Oh, he was a funny bugger! brass band and “ragtime” interpretations, inspired me to the Yarra Yarra band in 1969. We were the backup band at, I combination. Ken loved that New Orleans ensemble sound… but he still liked to be in charge and be the focal point. ALEXIS KORNER It is easier to gain Andthewayhecontrolledasessiontogothewayhe wanted liking than to gain respect. “Ken Colyer, who plays my kind of music.” todoit…andnotthewaytheaudienceexpectedit.Ifhewanted Lizzie Miles, New Orleans 1958 to play four slow blues in succession, he would, you know. Liking, after all, makes few BILL STOTESBURY I went in his garden, and he’d got this demands on the giver; it is fishpond with straight sides; concrete fishpond. And he’d got this little ladder coming out of the fishpond. And I said, so often a casual matter. “What’s that for Ken?” Respect implies a degree of “Oh… that’s for the hedgehogs.” And I said, “What do you mean, the hedgehogs?” and he said, “Well, they keep getting thought and, in some cases, in the pond and drowning. So I put the ladder up for them to get out.” admiration—which may not And I said, “You’re joking.” He said, “No.” So I said, “Does always be given too willingly. itworkthen?”andhesaid,“Well,Ihaven’thadanyhedgehogs drown since.” One such case is de finitely And funnily enough there was something on the radio about a month later, and somebody—in a gardening that of Ken Colyer. programme or something—said, “Oh, but hedgehogs can Here is a man of solitary nature, moody, diffident and climb, so…” And I said to him afterwards, “You were bloody utterlydedicatedtohismusic,amanwhoseabsoluteintegrity right.” And he said, “I know…” is admired even by those who do not like what he plays. Hedoesnotmakefriendseasily—Colyerisnot“casually” MARTIN COLYER In the course of making a record in likeable—butwhenhegiveshisfriendshipheexpectstomake Muscle Shoals, Alabama, our band went to a club gig way out and meet the demands which such a relationship must imply. inthecountryside.Thebarbandweretremendous,andwhen His pride leaves him open to sudden wounds, his intensity the musicians came down from the bandstand we were betrays him into strange depressions. And all this is plainly introduced to the guitarist—local legend Travis Wammack. audible in his music. Travis was a slightly scary figure. He had probably been ripped off by men with much less talent, but much more GEORGE MELLY Ken Colyer came back from New Orleans business sense, throughout his life, something he had in likeMosescomingdownfromMountSinaiwiththetabletsof commonwithmanyjobbingmusiciansintheAmericanSouth the law. To the growing number of New Orleans purists he (and all over the world, probably). Travis is a man whose lips trailed clouds of glory, and every note he blew was sacred.

29 Ken with Chris Barber and Acker Bilk, probably photographed on a ‘Floating Festival’ on the Thames

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